The Wither is Mightier Than What the Eye Saw
by ThaShasta
Summary: Leo awakens with no memory, just a backpack full of supplies and a key around her neck. As she progresses to her survival and enters civilization, her memories return to reveal a dark secret. Author's Note: This is my first FanFic. So if there's a mistake, just try to progress. (Rated T; because I expect some violence and if I didn't tell you, I think I'd get in trouble) . .
1. Chapter 1

I awoke to the crisp fresh air in the morning daylight. The grass around me was a sweet green and properly grown in the surroundings of nature. _Where am I? _I pondered. A gentle breeze blew while other questions swarmed my mind like a nest of angry bees, thoughts like _Who was I? _I stand up at the sound a bush rustling. I foolishly flinch at the sight of a hawk carrying its prey into the sky. I look around and see nothing but a stream, lots of plant life, and the comforting sight of a backpack.

I hear a rumble and turn around. The sky was turning grey. I reach for the backpack and hope to find some evidence about what has happened to my memory. A family photo, a child's drawing, _anything._ ButI find nothing but flint and steel, a pocket knife, a saucer, and a glass bottle. Another rumble. The wind began to pick up speed. I notice my hair is a slightly dark brown. _That sort of helps, I guess, _ I think. I decided to found out how I sound, or else all this thinking will make me go insane.

I tested on a few sentences, like "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog," My voice was very smooth, like an average tom boy's would sound like. I decide to find something to use as shelter after seeing a quick flash. I count, _one, two, three. _BAM. I put the pocket knife in my back pocket, just incase I lose the backpack in the oncoming storm. I slip the backpack on and head towards the brush of trees. I hear an unfamiliar noise. I draw the knife close to my chest. I turn the corner and see... a cow? I laugh at my silly mistake and walk on. "What would a cow be doing out in the wilderness?" I whisper to myself.

After a while, I came across a brick cabin. I take a deep breath and approach it, knock on the door, and wait. I sit there for a moment and opened the door and knocked on the wall. I look around and find nobody. I enter and close the door behind me. A small glass window provides the remaining light of this dark shed. Across from it, a stone fireplace stood firmly and bold. I sloped into an old wooden rocking chair. I look around the cabin once more. Except this time, I find a hammock hanging close to the fireplace. _Could I... possibly... stay here? _I , that sounded better than sleeping underneath an old tree in a thunderstorm.

The first few rain drops came down hard, indicating it would not last long. The sky grew darker than intended for a storm, which signaled the darkness of night was nearing. I went out to the back of the cabin and hoped to see a log. A pile of dark lumber sat sturdy with a few dead pine needles, suggesting they weren't from this part of the forest. Perhaps the previous owner had most likely left recently. I returned inside and placed two logs and a few pine needles in the fireplace. I grabbed the flint and steel from my backpack and struck the needles furiously. Sparks flew and a glow arose from the log revealing a small fire. I blew on it gently and it brightened the cabin with a warm glimmer. I could finally rest knowing I'm dry, warm and comfortable. My goal for tomorrow was to search the cabin, hunt or search for food, and go back to the stream to collect some water.


	2. Chapter 2

I rolled around for sometime in the hammock. I deemed to try to relax, yet there seemed to be something bothering me. I sat up and scratched my neck, but something my fingers overpassed a small chain. I lightly pulled until I realized it was a necklace. _How did I not notice this in the morn? _I speculated. I pulled it over my head to realize there was a small key attached. I examined it closely. It glistened a golden splendor from the reflection of the complimenting fire. I admired it for sometime, not noticing I fell worn. The sight was exceptionally hypnotic. I put the magnificence around my neck and fell back into the hammock. I closed my eyes, not noticing they wouldn't open again until the break of day.

Yet I dreamt. I had no idea of what until it felt... familiar. There was a rumbling at a door. I couldn't look around to analyze where I was. I refused to let the door open. Someone joined me, a tall, thin black haired boy. His eyes gleamed a bright blue. A kick from the other side of the door sent us running to barricade it with our backs. I pushed furiously as the door was being pried open. Shortly I was on the floor facing a man wearing a bandana over his face and two large guards on either side of him.

As they ran past me, towards the black haired boy, I tripped on to get in the way of the other. I violently swung my fists and kicked him to the ground. As I was distracted, the one I had tripped had given me a taste of my own medicine. I fell to the wooden floor in a painful thud. My vision became slightly blurred as I could only make out both guards grabbing the boy's forearms. I stood up to fight once more, but as I did, the man in the doorway struck me with something that caused the room to alight in a flash. "NO!" the boy yelped at my first defeat. Against the wall, my will wasn't crushed. They were about to exit before I stood up and took a bit of shattered glass.I stabbed one of the soldiers in the right shoulder, as yet the wrong one. He howled in pain as I pried between them and took the other's arm and slashed it with the glass remains.

Another flash sent me hurtling yards away. I couldn't let them out of my sight, though. I couldn't! I wildly stood up and ran with many fast steps. They all took out a small dark globe from their utility belts. All arms raised at once and threw. They almost got out of my sight when they reappeared many meters away. The black haired boy kicked and yelled. My speed thrusted to an extreme. At that moment, the world almost stopped when the trio turned to me and I slowed. They decided I wasn't going anywhere without a fight. I dodged at an unbelievable sight. This whole time, the leader was shooting lightning from his hands! I collapsed, noticing my body throbbed an excruciating pain. The two guards continued forward, but the leader stood before me. And I knew what was coming next as he raised a hand. The boy, once again, gave a final yelp of discouragement. And there was no more light... as to what I saw.

I awoke in a cold sweat, gasping for air. I shook uneasily. I stood up, paced in circles and took a deep breath. I stuttered, "It was just..." I trailed off in my thoughts. _Did I... did that... _My thoughts fluttered. My mind had settled on one idea. That's what happened to my memory. What seemed most important was it was the only memory that has reoccurred... so far. I rested on that thought. I let out a gust of air.


	3. Chapter 3

The event caused me to turn hot like blazing magma. I stepped outside in the slightly dark break of day. By the time I had caught my breath, the soothing sound of a variety of birds chirping had brought my mind back to tranquility. I took a long look around me to find the familiar surroundings from the previous day. The few trees that surrounded the cabin, the stack of logs piled off the side of the wall, and the cow I had seen, had possibly wandered towards my direction.

I drew my knife as I heard a rustling coming from the woods. Just as I was about to ask who was there, a woman with a large backpack stumbled out. I quickly put the knife back. "Erm, hi there?" I stuttered.

"Hello,young lady," she began "You seem somewhat afar from the city. Perhaps, you have something you could trade me? I'm a traveling trader. I'm hoping to stock up on items to bargain. Do you have anything I could buy from you?"

"Wait, did you say _city_?" I asked.

"Indeed. Half a day's journey that way" She pointed to my right. "Now, do you have anything to trade?" If there was a city, I might need some money.

"One second" I went inside and checked my backpack. The saucer might not have much use, and it might be worth something. I exited and handed the trader the dish.

"What a beauty," She said as she examined the patterned curves. She opened her bag and took out a small sack. She counted a fistful of coins and handed it to me. After she closed the bag, she shook my hand.

"Pleasure doing business with ya," She signaled before taking a few steps in my position. I turned to her.

"Wait! Which direction did you say the town was?" I questioned. She pointed right again.

"It takes about 9 or 10 hours to get there." She repeated in a different format

"Thanks." I ended. She raised a hand and nodded. My heart raced again. Except this time, in a positive manner. I was so full of hope, I almost entirely forgot about the situation at hand. I went inside and put my backpack on the hammock. I looked around the cabin. Because tomorrow, I was going to leave for the town.

Later that day, I was sitting in the rocking chair twiddling my thumbs, when a sharp glimmer hit my eye. I looked around until I found it was a reflection off of something I hadn't seen. I looked at the direction the light from the window was facing, and there was something out of place there. One of the floor boards was a different shade than the rest. I knelt to the ground, study it, and decide to attempt to lift it. It came off easily, signifying it hid something. Underneath was a small shoulder bag. I reached for it and opened it. What was inside was remarkable. More coins, a leather notebook, and a full piece of charcoal. I was astonished. The notebook was empty except for some cryptic writing on the cover. This was a start. A start to progress.


	4. Chapter 4

My patience gave in that afternoon when my stomach rumbled furiously. I could not wait any longer, so I grabbed the satchel and arranged my items. I folded the pocket knife and slid it in my front pocket. After I had slipped on the bag, I took a deep breath and scanned the cabin before exiting. I knew I was going to return, but I hesitated. Soon enough, I had gathered my will and was already out the door.

I'd say it was a few hours after I had left when night had cascaded and I was about worn. I slumped onto a medium sized boulder and rested my eyes, remaining conscious. When they had opened, I was now admiring the luminous night sky that the stars' blaze created an admirable ornament. I looked around to see few trees in sight, which allowed the sky to seemingly grasp the earth around me like a dome. I sit there for minutes on end, thinking about god knows what. Maybe it helped me understand my own train of thoughts before or what I was possibly thinking about in the back of my mind. That dream. No. That _memory_. It could be one of the possible many remaining shards of my memory or what happened to it. Perhaps that last strike gave me amnesia. And the black haired boy. Who was he? My brother? A friend? Or more than that?

I pushed all these questions aside and focused on the task at hand. I took a final glance at the patches of blue, white and black in the night sky before getting up and continuing.

The collage of stars had disappeared after the sun had partially risen, yet some of the sky was still blueish-grey. After sometime that dawn had partially risen, an opening revealed a gravel road. I begin to walk until I see something large in the distance. I stroll forward, realizing a large wall about 100 ft away from where I stood. Two massive open round doors give a protective mood. A guard nearby watches me as I approach.

"Excuse me," I began. "Where am I?"

"This is Bluewind city" he responds with a welcoming grin.

"Thank you, sir" I remark as I nod my head. I walk forward. Ahead, a bridge looked over a low river. Trading posts lined the sides selling bread, jewelry, meat, drinks or gifts.

Men, women and children walk and run past me indicating a dense population. Structures of all sizes aline the streets, from houses to shops. _Wow_ I only mouth.

My stomach gives off a painful ache, but I manage to hide it. I pull out a few coins and walk up to a trader's stand. I ask for a small loaf of bread, surprisingly only costed me one. I traverse over to a short wall and sit. In about 3 minutes time, I was down to a third left. When I finally finish, I wipe my hands and take a walk around the place. I stand up straight to make an impression, not knowing on who. As I walk I hear a commotion coming from an alleyway. I turn the corner to see a crowd of boys surrounding a girl on the ground. I realized she's being held down.

An older boy who seemed to be the leader searches for something she might be carrying on her. She resists to give up whatever she's holding and curses at them, but they pry a bag from her hands. I decide to step up. "Hey!" I holler "What are you doing?" The group turns to me and chuckle. They let go and the girl stands up, being shorter than everyone. The seemingly leader holds up the bag as she tries to leap to reach it. "C'mon," She shrieks "Give it back, Alard!"

"Yeah man, just give it back" I reinforce. He smiles and raises an eyebrow. He turns as if he and his gang were about to leave, but he dashed off. I followed not too far behind and began to chase him. He looked back for a split second before realizing I was there. He ducked and dodged between carts, people, and alleys, trying to lose me. I do for a moment, but I go down an passage way that was only steps before him. I run into him and we both fall.

I get up first and I hold him down. A crowd begins to form around us. "Give it," I hold out my hand in front of him. He panics and hands it to me. I flinch when a guard rushes around the corner. I let go of him, but the guard goes for him instead. He holds Alard's hands behind his back and looks at me.

"Alard, you're under arrest for theft and resisting arrest... three times." he states.

"Really? I don't recall." Alard sarcastically remarks. The crowd all looks at me and cheers. The girl from before steps up and asks "Who are you?" I didn't think of that before. I look beyond the crowd and a banner of a lion hangs from a lamp post. I think for a bit and look back at her. I answer "Leo. Call me Leo."


	5. Chapter 5

When dusk had descended, the commotion had died and my eyes had grown heavy. I lean against the stone brick wall of the inn. The price for a room would mean the rest of my money. I decide to rest my eyes for a short moment until I hear someone approaching. I look to me right to see the girl from before. She holds something behind her back and looks as if she has to say something.

"Erm," she begins. "The shoulder strap snapped when you were chasing Alard." She extends an arm and in her hand is my shoulder bag. I reach around my torso to find it was true. She hands it over to me and I check to see if anything was missing, but everything was still intact.

"Oh wow, thanks. You're a life saver!" I acknowledge.

"No problem. And if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have this," She reaches for her packet and pulls out the small bag from before. She looks at the ground. "Its all I can count on now," When she tilted her head up she reached for a hand shake "The names Ethelda. But the locals just call me Thelda."

"I take it you know who I am." I accept the shake. "Wait, what was that about depending on that?"

"I don't really have much. My parents took off sometime after I was born. Didn't stay at the orphanage for long." She changes the subject and examines me "Damn, you look pretty tired. When was the last time you slept?"

"Not too long ago. Maybe two days."

"Alright. Lemme show you my 'setup'." She walks past me and I catch up. Sometime later, we come upon an alleyway with a fire pit at the end. A worn blanket with a few large holes sits to the side of the wall. Thelda sits on it and I sit on the opposite wall. "So where are your parents?" She questions.

"Um... I have no idea. I don't remember anything. Ya see, I think I've got amnesia." I say, excluding the memory shard. She looks at me strangely, most likely seeing if I was telling the truth.

"You serious?"

"Yes."

"Damn! I thought I was in serious sh-" she stops and looks at me to see me not amused. "Sorry."

I shake off the look."Don't worry about it. I understand.I just..." I trail off and look the other way. After a moment of awkward silence,I look back and Thelda decides to tell me about the first _few_ (yeah, she did it more than once) times she escaped the orphanage. She used clever strategies and maneuvers. The more she explained the layout, the more it began to sound like a prison escape.

By the time the fire was the only source of light, Thelda had gone out cold after a long conversation. I stay up for a while to think. I mean, I finally had the time to. That memory shard was impossible to ignore. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't think of anything else without it getting in the way. I position my head closer to the ground to try to get some rest. It wasn't long until everything on my mind faded.

I awake to a familiar voice. "Leo, get up. We can't be here all day. People walk past this all the time. And they sure as hell think homeless people are gross." Thelda laughs. I join in on a chuckle, sit up and pat down my hair. I brush out some dirt and stand up to wipe my clothes off, which of course, smell terrible.

I walk up to a nearby trading stand and buy slice of cooked pork chop. Thelda buys a large loaf of bread and splits it in two. I then buy us a bottle of juice. We eat on the wall facing the bridge and _BAM! _It comes to me. Perhaps I was supposed to find the black haired boy. But why would that man take him here? I wasn't thinking correctly. I loose my train of thought when Thelda interrupts.

"You don't by chance know anyone named Slade, do you? I mean, after you got amnesia?" I look at her strangely.

"No. Why?"

"I woke up in the middle of the night to hear you mumble something about them last night." My eyes widen. I quickly turn to Thelda and hold my breakfast in my lap.

"What did I say?" I rush

"I'm not sure. I couldn't make out what you said."

"Anything is fine. Just _please_ tell me!"

"Alright! You said something about someone taking him south of here. Someone named Onorenn."

"I said all that?" I say right before something hits me. Something matched. Time seemed to stop and everything was still. The only thing that made sense was Slade. The black haired boy. That was him.

I shake my head after I begin to feel dizzy. I lower my head to take a deep breath. Thelda grabs my shoulder.

"Hey you alright, mate?" she asks.

"Yeah... I'm fine..." She lets go and I stand up. I finish the pork and shove the bread into my bag. "What's south of here?" I ask Thelda. She shrugs.

"I don't know. I never went to school," She answers "I taught myself to count when I was still in the orphanage." I think for a bit.

"Is there a library nearby?"

"Yeah. Follow me." She shoves the bread remains in her mouth and wipes her hands. A few blocks away, we reach a library and I open the large doors. Tall bookshelves stand in numerous rows. I walk over to the front desk. A woman, who I assume who is the librarian, sits and reads a book. Before I can speak, Thelda holds up her hand, signaling _She's got it. _

"Ahem," Thelda begins "Do you by chance know where the maps could be?" The librarian points over to two steel doors. I nod my head in thanks, but she goes back to her book before she can see.

As we walk over, I feel a strange chill down my spine. I turn to see a book sit upon a darkly colored cut stone block surrounded by bookshelves.

"Hold on." I say. Thelda turns to see what I'm looking at.

"Oh that. An old friend told me about it. That's an ancient enchanting table. It hasn't worked in centuries. Mainly because magic hasn't been used in hundreds of years. It was considered overpowered nonsense. Somethings lead to disaster and chaos. It seemed to almost disappear after it was outlawed. Then came the industrial age and that didn't matter anymore. It was replaced by science and such..." I zone out and begin to walk closer.

"Don't bother, I doubt it'll wor-" As I take a last step, the book opens by itself and begins to flip through pages. Particles of white seem to appear from the bookshelves and sink into the book. I jump back and it remains open. I look behind me Thelda's jaw wide open, eyes still facing the table. After a short moment, she turns to me and gestures to walk forward.

"What are you waiting for? You got something to enchant?" she asks

"Like what?" I reply

"I dunno. A weapon or something?" I pull out my pocket knife and place it on the table underneath the book.

"Will that do?" I say before a small spark arises and the book closes. I look at the knife to see something else. A blue blade seems to almost glow sits atop a carved wooden handle with a vine-like pattern. The pocket knife is no longer, but now a dagger takes its place. I pick it up, feeling as if it were much heavier, and hide it in my bag. I turn to see Thelda looking as if she were thinking deeply. I wait until she looks up she looks at my eyes. I pull out the juice bottle and look at my reflection. A vicious, light green glow flickers. _Have they been like this the entire time?_ I think to myself. I look at my hands and the glow acts as a light. So it couldn't have been that way this whole time.

This were to almost be a reaction to the table.

"We gotta hurry before we get caught." Thelda rushes.

"What? Why?"

"People will freak! I told you it was outlawed forever ago! Try to make your eyes stop that."

"How?!"

"Um, try to relax? Hell, I don't know!" I bring my hands closer and focus. Sometime in the following minutes, the glow begins to fade and we both exhale deeply.

"Lets hurry up and a map then get the hell outta here." she states

"Alright."

We go through the pair of doors and enter an observatory dome. Shelves of papers make surround a desk dead center in the middle.

"Which one do we take?" I question.

"How should I know? I don't know how to read!" I quietly let out a frustrated grunt so she doesn't hear me. We walk in a separate directions, looking between shelves.

"Wait." I say. I walk over to the desk in the center and take off a large rolled up piece of paper. I unroll it and take a long look at it to discover its a map. I take a closer look until I find Bluewind. I look in the direction southern of it until I find a place named Darkmarsh. I look around to see if anyone was watching us, but it was just us two. I shove the map into my bag.

"C'mon, we got what we need. Lets just go before we get caught."

"Was anyone watching us?"

"No."

"I mean out there."

"We would've been caught, then."

"How do you know someone didn't just leave to get guards?"

"You might be right. Lets go, then."

Later that night, we're seen walking towards the gate I had encountered earlier and we stop.

"You gonna just leave?" Thelda queries

"Just about."

"Where to?"

"Darkmarsh."

"Why the hell would you go there? That place is a deathtrap."

"Its just something I have to do."

"Why can't I go?" I look down for a moment and tilt my head up.

"Well, I... its just that... well..." I sigh. "Fine. You can go. Just don't expect it to be a walk in the park. But first, I need to head back to my cabin to get the rest of my possessions. Not much, though." Then I look up and remember who I'm talking to.

"What? You just live in a cabin by yourself?"

"I just woke up a few days ago with amnesia. Give me a break!" I laugh. We walk out the gate and a guard hands me a torch.

"Not safe at night. You sure you two ladies wanna travel this late?"

"Yeah. We're good." Thelda jumps in before I could answer. He shrugs and walks back over to his post. The cobble road soon turns to gravel and I head off into the trees.

A few hours pass and we begin to hear a strange noise. The ground below us begins to rumble. I hear a distance explosion. A few moments later, I find me and Thelda on the ground. She pushed me to take cover underneath the thick of tree leaves and puts out the torch. She jumps to another tree and signals me to remain quiet. She leans up agains the tree and closes her eyes. _What the hell?_ I ponder just before a massive shadow appears only hundreds of feet away. I do as Thelda does and look over my shoulder for sometime.

The object the shadow comes from cries a blood-curling screech. Its as if it knows we're there. And it wants us dead. It shoots something fairly close to our position and an explosion goes off. It targets trees close to our location to draw us out, but we refuse to move. I look over to see Thelda open one eye and look over. I get an idea. If it were to fail, I could buy her some time. I focus and the familiar green glow appears. I quickly take off.

The beast sees me and starts heading after me. My ears begin to ring as the ground explodes behind me. One of them send me hurling through the air and I land behind a tree. A sharp pain in my side appears, but I manage to remain quiet. The beast sees me out of sight and believes it has gotten rid of me. It continues the way I ran. I lean up against the tree and hold my hand against my side.

Only seconds pass and the pain faded enough for me to gather my will to get me to my feet. I begin to walk the way I came and see Thelda run quickly to my aid.

"Oh god! Why would you do that?" she worries.

"For the fun of it." I joke around, yet I see her roll her eyes behind a grin. She gives a friendly shove and she points to her eyes.

"Oh, right. I dunno. I might keep it this way for now."

"I don't know. I makes me uneasy. Did you know about that before?"

"No I didn't. And hold on, what the hell was that back there?"

"A wither?"

"What the hell is that?"

"A demon from the nether itself. And I don't think we just stumbled upon it. I think it was sent to hunt us down."

"Why-" I get cut off by a thought. Perhaps the man in the bandana heard he hadn't finished me off and sent it to do it for him.

"What's wrong?"

"There's something I really gotta tell you."

Time passed as I told her about the shard and she understood.

"So you're going to Darkmarsh to get Slade. How do you know he's important to you?"

"Because he could jog my memory and help me know who I am and everything else about me."

"And if he doesn't?"

"He will." I seem to almost snap.

"Maybe there's more to that than what you know. Like why was he captured? What would they want with him?"

"I have no idea. But this really means a lot to me."

"I know that. And that's why I'll stick around."

"Alright, lets get going and we'll make it to the cabin before noon." I take out the flint and steel and relight the torch. I again focus and the torch is the only source of light. We walk along, hoping we don't run into the wither again.


	6. Chapter 6

The early morning dew filled my senses with both pleasure and a refreshing feeling. It wasn't long before the structure of the cabin had only stood a few feet from where we stood.

"Oh wow. This the place?" Thelda asks. I nod. I signal her inside and head around to the back to get a few logs. I enter to reveal Thelda slumped into the chair. I give off a slight chuckle before heading to the fireplace.

After a long day of packing, mapping and chatting, the fire is somewhat dim and I collapse into the hammock once more. Before I have the chance to close my eyes, I hear Thelda speak.

"Are we really up for this?"

"I dont see why not. I really need to find a way to recover my memory. And Slade may be the answer."

"But what if its not worth it? What if he has nothing to do with your memory? And how do you know he's alive?"

"If he's not, I'll find another way to do it. I have to."

"Man, Leo. You've got some real guts. Risking our lives, heading to Darkmarsh just to get someone we barley-"

"I'm sure I know him, somewhere in the back of my mind."

"Sure- someone we barley know to get yourself back to normal. Maybe we could just grab a log and bash you on the back of the head, eh?" She giggles.

"You just wanna kill me don't you?" I join in.

"Hey, you're the one taking me to Darkmarsh." That really shook me. I stop and give off a small gasp. Thelda notices an immediately goes quiet.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. You didn't know and I understand." We end there and the only sound heard is the crackles of the dying fire. But the thought sticks to my mind. Thelda was probably right. What if something were to happen to her? Especially after that Wither attack. I cling to an answer and shake off the thought. I then tell myself: _Its me before anyone else._ I am then able to finally close my eyes and sleep.

After I began to shiver, I sat up and Thelda was already awake, leaning agains the workbench and staring out the window. The sun was barley up and the sky was once again a cyan-like color.

"How long have you been awake?" I ask. Nothing but a shrug to answer. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just couldn't sleep a whole lot. Your limbs began to twitch every 45 minutes."

"No shit?"

"No shit. I had to go out back and get a few logs to start up the fire again. You calmed down after the 4th time. But I'm fine. I still slept more than I usually do." I shake my head and focus my sight.

"I'm sorry, man."

"Don't sweat it. I've got it easy compared to you."

"Did you check the bags for everything?"

"Yep."

"Which one do you want to carry?"

"The shoulder bag."

"Alright" I sit in the chair and warm up to the fire. After a few minutes, I slip on the backpack and nod at Thelda. When she nods back, we head out the door and I take a deep breath.

"Lets go." She says before I get the chance to.

Hours pass and we stop to take a rest. I pull out the glass bottle I had filled at Bluewind and remove the cork. I offer Thelda a sip, but she pulls out the juice. A hawk perched atop the tree stares at us blankly. Thelda notices and keeps eye contact with the bird. I join in and stare. As we glare at each other, I take note of its features, especially his scrawny appearance and the small brown spots on its chest.

"Uhh... You don't think its hungry do you?" Thelda stutters and clutches her bag.

"Perhaps, but I think it's diet's just meat." I answer. I realize its not looking directly at us, but switching between us and a still lizard corps a few inches from my left foot. The look in the hawk's eyes seemed desperate, as if it thought we were guarding it. I roll my eyes and pick up the lizard.

"Ugh! That's nasty..." I hear Thelda whisper. I gently toss it to the bird in which it jumps while it gently flaps and catches with its talons.

It immediately begins to gorge down on the reptile. After I look back at Thelda for a brief moment, it's meat is just about half gone. The hawk twists its head and begins to stumble forward. I begin to back up when its at least a foot of distance away.

"I dont have any more..." I whisper under my breath. It stops and turns its head straight. I stop for a moment and it flies behind me. A few seconds later, I feel an immense feeling on my shoulder. The hawk had rested on it. I feel shaken for a split second before realizing _Had I just tamed this creature? Seemed almost too easy. Although, its pretty scrawny for its __species. _I turn and look at Thelda, once again, wide-eyed. She shakes her head and returns to her drink.

"Whoever or whatever you really are, you must be a really good one because, my friend, you are just full of surprises." I'll make note of that.


End file.
